State Fair Button 2011

Here is number twenty-five in the series. My goodness!!! A quarter of a century of fair buttons!!! 25 years in the history of a family.




(P.S.... here is last year's: http://okwildlady.blogspot.com/2010/10/our-2010-state-fair-button.html)

Politics and Respect

I am honored to have a large group of friends, with a diverse lot of political beliefs. Most of you know I lean to the left, although not quite to the point of hugging trees... :-)

On Facebook, my friends range from very far right to very far left. I have friends who are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and even a couple anti-government. They say their piece, I say mine... sometimes the conversations become quite animated! However, I wouldn't be without a single one of these friends. It's these discussions that help expand my horizons of knowledge.

There is one common denominator that all of these folks possess that seems to be lacking in much of society today, and that is respect. We are all friends of Voltaire, ascribing to the philosophy: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Let the discussions continue, and let's stay friends! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHw3xadHorw

A brief but pleasant visit

Although I have been very busy with Mom's move, I was able to get together with Bear and Kelly and their kids for awhile today. We had lunch at a place called "Pops" in Arcadia. I had not seen them in ages, it was so nice to be able to visit with them!



Pops is a pretty cool place, they have different sodas from around the country, and great burgers. They even have Faygo, from Michigan! Good food, good company and some Faygo Rock-n-Rye... what could be better? :)

Sunday's Reflection: Coming soon to a Catholic Church near you! :)

I sort of stumbled on this by accident while looking for a YouTube video of a song... ANY song our choir sang today. I really wanted to find Michael Connolly's "Where o Death is your Victory," but after searching all over the internet, the closest thing I could find was a download of a sound file, and the link didn't work. :(
Giving up on that, I tried to find any of the others. No luck. Frustrated, I decided to look for the "Mass of Angels and Saints" that we are using... then, I found this! This is the new version that the Catholic Church will be switching to within the next year. So, instead of posting the past, I am posting the future! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJy8X5c3Mls&feature=BFa&list=PLCBA3B32000F9455F&index=19

I think I like it!!

The end of our family's percussion era

As everybody knows, the Putnam City High School Band has been a central part of our lives for many years.






It started with Jimmy. He actually trail blazed the way for his younger siblings, as I had never been a band parent before. There was a lot to learn! Marching competitions, equipment needed, expenses, time consumed, fund raising, practicing before sunrise, coda tryouts, drumline tryouts... WOW! I had no idea what being a band parent entailed!



Next, there was Shelby. I already knew the score by that time, and it was much easier... except perhaps the year she broke her ankle in the middle of marching season.



Finally, there is John. By this time, it's a given that band is a part of our lives... except for one thing...



John has decided to leave the band. I can't believe it!!!! But, last week he sat down with me for a serious talk. He has a number of reasons for wanting to leave, all of them valid; the main one being he is working very hard to graduate with honors.

It's probably silly that this whole thing has made me cry the past few days, because it really is up to him. We band parents are supposed to be there for our kids, not the other way around! I keep hoping he will reconsider, but ultimately the decision is his.

Here are a few other memories from the years John has been in band and even before...

~~~~~~~~~~~

John seemed destined to be a percussionist back when he thought that Jimmy's practice pad made a great toy.



Here he is as the Band Queen crown-bearer back in 2005, when Shelby was a Sophomore.



From some of the football games:








It's been a good time being a band parent, now it's time to rest. :)

Sunday's Reflection

This is a song our choir sang today, but it's a much more complicated version. This arrangement really is worth a listen!


"Love is Come Again," aka "Now the Green Blade Rises"



http://youtu.be/Mu-JPsfQs9A

A few of my favorite "Being a Mom" photos...

This is what I'm celebrating today. :-)

































Not only am I celebrating these blessings, but I am also lucky enough to have a few "bonus" kids that may have been to big for me to carry by the time they came into my life, but I carry them in my heart.

Happy Mother's Day to everybody who is somebody's Mom, or is a child who blessed the life of a Mom, like all of mine have blessed me!

Happy Easter Monday

Hope everybody had a blessed and filling Easter.



I know my crazy crew did! :)

Remembering loved ones on Good Friday

For a number of years we have engaged in a little ritual on Good Friday.

It all started because of the beautiful Christmas cards that came in the mail every year. I couldn’t bear to get rid of them after only having them up for a week, so I started leaving them up longer and longer. Then one day it occurred to me that Good Friday would be an appropriate day to take them down, because we celebrate Christmas as the day of Jesus’ birth, and honor Good Friday as the day of Jesus’ death. Then, of course, Sunday we will celebrate the Great Resurrection!


These are the cards we received this past Christmas. We will take them down tonight after the Good Friday service. As we take them down we will say a small prayer for each person and family that sent them. So if you sent us a card this year, we are putting it to good use! :)

Sunday's Reflection

Today is Palm Sunday, and this hymn is one that is frequently used for this day.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcfEO8qRp48


(Actually, I really wanted to use a different one that we sang today, but I couldn't find a video. But you can listen to it HERE. I love it!)

John goes to Prom!

Like his older brother, John is attending his first formal dance as a sophomore, since his girlfriend is an upper-classman. I had forgotten how much easier it was to help a young man prepare for the prom. A rented tux, a shower, hair combed and he was ready! Wow, is my baby ever handsome!

Something neat happened today, too.

The yellow rose bush bloomed for the first time this year, and not just one bloom. There are at least a dozen blooms and buds on it! I think John's dad is watching today. :)

It's Tulip Time. :)

Remember this post, back when my tulips were all tucked in nice and cozy? Well, the cold dark days are over, and now they are blooming in the sunshine.













I just LOVE Spring, don't you??? :-)

Sunday's Reflection

I am going to attempt a new regular feature on my blog that I'm calling "Sunday's Reflection."

Basically, it will be a YouTube video of a song that our choir sang that morning. Almost every Sunday one of the songs keeps running through my head all day long, so this will serve a two-fold purpose. One; I can share a favorite song, and two; maybe that way I'll get the danged thing unstuck from my brain! :)

The first one is today's psalm response, and was also the psalm response at the services for my father-in-law, the hauntingly beautiful "Shepherd me O God."

I hope you like it. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmFM4jZasvs&feature=related

A Tale of Two Scouts

My daughter's boyfriend Alex obtained the rank of Eagle Scout awhile back, but because of a variety of circumstances his Court of Honor wasn't held until this past weekend. Our whole family attended, and we were all duly impressed with all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event. Four new Eagle Scouts were honored in person by each segment of the US Armed Forces and presented with a variety of awards, including a letter from the President of the United States, members of the US Congress, and our State Governor.

In spite of all of those honors, what really made a lasting impression on me was a story (below) about a Japanese Boy Scout and an American Boy Scout during World War II, told by one of the scoutmasters. Until yesterday, I was not even aware that there is such a group as the Boy Scouts of Japan!

Later at home, the story was still on my mind. However, I was pretty well convinced that it was just a bit of "glurge," so I did some research. In case you are not familiar with that term:

GLURGE [Glurj]
noun
1. Chicken soup with several cups of sugar mixed in.
2. A sickeningly sweet inspirational story that is purportedly factual, but more often merely an urban legend.


Although the tale is sweet enough to qualify as glurge, evidently it is true.




This monument is located in Yokohama, 20 miles from Tokyo, inside a theme park. Here is the story, which is a general translation of the above plaque...

Unknown Scout Soldier -- This statue is a memorial of a true story of a fierce battle in World War II, which happened on an island in the South Pacific Ocean. An American soldier was seriously wounded, and he was lying where he had fallen. The sound of gunfire stopped, and the surroundings quieted down. He heard someone's footsteps approaching him. A Japanese soldier who had a gun with a bayonet was standing over him when he opened his eyes. He thought that he was going to be killed by the Japanese soldier, and he fainted.

After a while, he woke up. He found a white slip of paper on the sand by his side, and he put it in his pocket. He was carried on a stretcher to the field operations aid station soon after that. When he was put on the operating table, he remembered the slip of paper in his pocket, and gave it to the doctor. It was a message from the Japanese soldier, and was as follows: "When I was about to kill you, you made the three fingered Scout salute. I am a Scout. A Scout is a brother. Therefore, I could not kill any person who lost the fighting spirit. I tended to your wound. Good luck!"

After the war the American soldier and his father visited the Boy Scout headquarters in the United States, and told this story. They donated money for the Boy Scouts to put up a monument to the Scouting Spirit. The American soldier's name is not known. The Japanese soldier was killed. This monument is to the Unknown Scout Soldier. This is an example of the Scout Spirit of Japan.

~~~~~~~

A big congratulations to Alex for achieving the highest rank in this fine organization!

Sometimes I think I have troubles...

...but then I read something that makes any problem I am having seem small.

This is a story about a young married couple named Nathan and Elisa. Nathan was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer. Nine days later, Elisa was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. They are literally in the battle of their lives while trying to care for their 18 month old daughter, Sadie.

I am adding this to my "Favorite Reading" list on the right, but in this case it is not reading for enjoyment. I am following this site, (click here) and planning to do whatever I can to help this family, especially praying many prayers. On the page you will find a link to their family blog, so you can follow their progress if you wish.

If we each light a single candle in their darkness, perhaps we can bring the light of day to them again.

The Big Kid

A video gone viral is causing many a laugh around the internet. It is a clip of a schoolyard fight between a pint-sized bully and a large victim. The victim evidently has taken enough of the torment, so he grabs the bully and body-slams him to the ground. All the reactions that I have read cheer the victim for having the guts to put an end to the situation. Both children have been suspended from school for 4 days, according to the victim’s father. The whole situation makes me sad because I have seen so many similar situations over the years.

Going back in my mind, I remember a girl who was moved from a neighborhood school where she was well liked and respected, to a school where she became “the new kid” among students who had known each other since kindergarten. She towered over her classmates, even at the age of 8 years old most of the kids came up to about arm-pit level. From the first day she was given the name of “Jolly Green Giant.”

At first the girl laughed along with them, thinking it was the same kind of gentle banter that had been shared between friends back at the old school. But then the taunts became meaner, and soon the little pushes, shoves and pinches started.

The girl went to her teacher, who scolded, “You’re a big girl. Just ignore them.”

Next, the girl ignored them until somebody pulled her hair so hard that it brought her to tears. She turned around and punched him, and was sent to the principal.

She was given the punishment of writing 500 times, “I will not hit others,” and the boy who pulled her hair wasn’t punished at all! “You are so much bigger than him! Shame on you for hitting somebody so much smaller than you!”

It just escalated. The girl was heartbroken. It was bad enough being new in a school with no friends, but the bullying she was receiving was intolerable. Soon the girl had bloody pinch marks on her arms, and did not fight back so as to not get in trouble again. Her mother tried talking to the parents and the school, but was basically blown off. “She’s immature, she cries almost every recess.” Well, I wonder why???

But one day, it all came to an end, thanks to a boy named Tom. While at recess, the girl heard from behind her the familiar chant; “Hey Jolly Green Giant!” and felt a smack at the back of her head. And then… a voice hollered out, “You leave her ALONE!!!”

She turned around, and there was Tom standing next to her with his fists clenched, facing the usual group of tormentors. At first they laughed, “Tom’s got a girlfriend,” “What’s up Tom, are you in love with the Green Giant?” but he stood his ground.

“I said leave her alone. She’s nice, and she has never done anything to any of you. Why do you keep picking on her?”

One by one they slunk away and after that day, pretty much left her alone. As a matter of fact, over time she became friends with some of them, and even received a few apologies. It only took one person speaking up against something wrong to make them take notice.

That girl was me.

One person can truly make a difference in somebody’s life. Tom is no longer living for me to thank again, but I want to thank all the Toms out there who will stand up for somebody when nobody else will, and are not afraid to speak up when someone is being abused.

“Blessed are the Peacemakers.”


http://www.iviewtube.com/v/179719/fat-kid-body-slams-skinny-bully

I'm as mad as hell...

Sound familiar? Wikipedia description of a scene from old movie 'Network':

"The upper echelons of a major news network decide to exploit a news anchor's symptoms of mental illness rather than pulling him off the air, because their ratings are soaring. In one impassioned diatribe, Beale galvanizes the nation with his rant, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" and persuades Americans to shout out of their windows during a lightning storm. Soon Beale is hosting a new program called 'The Howard Beale Show', top-billed as a 'mad prophet.' The network allows more and more bizarre events on live TV until ultimately they allow the televised assassination of Beale."

Reminds me of what networks currently are doing to Charlie Sheen. He obviously needs help, but first they will exploit him until he's all used up. Maybe even dead.

I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to watch it... ever.

Solidarity in Oklahoma

Sometimes we have to stand up for others. If we don't, who will stand up for us? Today we stood up in support of the teachers, nurses, and all public employees of Wisconsin who are fighting for their rights.


It's funny... on our local news it was reported "Over 100 people gathered at the Capitol..." Wow! What an understatement! We counted close to 1000. Actually, the news spent almost no time covering the event.



It was a very calm rally, although it seemed like some were expecting violence. The bomb squad was there along with at least 25 police cars at the beginning.



I guess this guy could have bit somebody on the leg, but he was as peaceful as the rest of us!

This is the bottom line: If people lose the right to bargain, all they can do is beg. Wisconsin, please don't turn teachers and other public workers into beggars.

CLICK HERE FOR story about protests across the US today

Nine years today. From the beginning to the end...

I always looked at him the same way...






... and I miss him.

9/16/1947-2/25/2002

Revisiting: A few minutes in Andy's Heaven

I know a few things about love...

Love is special and should never be taken for granted.

Good love allows us be ourselves. No games are needed. No guessing is needed. Conversations are engaging, silence is comfortable.

We don't need to hold on to love. It stays right with us.

It's not about the wedding... it's about the marriage.

There is no "i" in "team."

Laughter is the glue that holds everything together.

It's okay to go to bed mad. Problems are often easier to solve after a good night's sleep. But mad or not, always say, "I love you." There are no guarantees that you will ever have another chance.

True love is built on both friendship and chemistry.

Happy Valentine's Day to my best friend of 39 years.

I love you.

What I did during my Winter Vacation: Part 2

John and I made devil's food cupcakes...















...and they were good!